Horse-releaser.



N0. 79?,238. PATENTED AUGu 15, 1905. 3. fiTANLEY.

HORSE RELEASEIL APPLICIATION 13mm) mm a, 11m:

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SOLOMON STANLEY, Ol UURDTON, MISSOURI l'TOT-lEiE RllELEASlE-IRH Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905,

Application filed May 9, 190%. Serial No. 207,181.

To all whom it rim/7,1 concern.-

Be it known that I, SOLoMon STANLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ourdton, in the county of Stoddard, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse-Releasers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to horse-releascrs; and it has for its Object to provide a simple construction which when Operated will serve to permit of instant withdrawal of the tugs or traces from the swingletree, a further object of the invention being to provide a construction which will be durable and which will be held securely in inoperative position under normal conditions.

in the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in both views, Figure I is a top plan view showing the positions of the parts under normal conditions, the locking plate being partly in section. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the parts in their releasing positions.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a pair of shafts 5 and 6, having the usual cross-bar 7, which carries the swingletree. The swingletree in the present instance comprises two members 8 and 9, formed by cutting the swingletree transversely midway between its ends, and these two members 8 and 9 are connected by a hinge including leaves 10 and 11 and a pintle 12. The pintle 12 passes down through the cross-bar 7 and forms a pivotal connection between the crossbar and the members of the swingletree so that the swingletree may swing in the usual manner.

Under normal conditions the members 8 and 9 of the swingletree aline, and to hold them in such alinement a spring latch-plate 13 is provided, which is fixed against the rear face of the member 8 and projects beyond the inner end of said member, the projecting portion having a perforation 14 therethrough, which when the members 8 and 9 are in alinement receives a pin 15, which projects from the rear face of the member 9. The pin 15 is deflected at its free end in the direction of the outer end of the member 9, and the springplate 13 is slightly bowed, so that the outer side of the perforation lies close against the pin in the minor angle between it and the member 9. The outer ends of the members 8 and 9 are engaged through the traces 16 and 17 in the usual manner, and so long as the members 8 and 9 are in alinement, as shown in Fig. 1, the traces remain in place. lVhen the latch-plate is disengaged from the pin, the pull of the traces causes the members S and 9 to fold together, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the traces are drawn from them. To disengage the latch-plate from the pin, an angular lever 18 is pivoted upon the upper face of the member 9, and attached to the extremity of the forward arm thereof is a cord 19, which in practice is passed into the body of the vehicle, so that when it is drawn upon the lever is moved. The rear arm of the lever, which is rounded at its end, as shown, bears against the rear face of the latch-plate 13 at the opposite side of the pin 15 from the member 8, and when the cord 19 is drawn this lever bears against the latch-plate and tends first to straighten it, so that the perforated portion will have a slight longitudinal movement from contact with the pin, and then presses the latchplate rearwardly off from the pin, so that the members 8 and 9 may fold.

Vhat is claimed is In a horse-releaser, the combination with shafts and a cross-bar, of a swingletree comprising end members, a hinge-leaf secured to the inner end of each of said members, a pintle connecting the hinge-leaves and passed through said bar, a curved latch-plate fastened to one end member of the swingletree and projecting therefrom over the other member and having a perforation in its free end por tion, a pin engaged in the second swingletree member, and inclined away from the other member and adapted to engage the perforation of the latch plate when the latter is strained, and an angular lever pivoted upon the second swingletree member, the free end of the angle part of said lever being curved toward the other angle part, and means connected to the said other angle part whereby the curved end of the angle-lever may be brought into engagement with the aforesaid latch-plate to release it from engagement with the said pin.

I In testimony whereof Ill affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SOLOMON STlANLEY. \Vitnesses:

Or. 1W. S'l-IORT, H. S. .l.ortrnn. 

